5 Things Your Video Marketing Strategy Should Include

This year has been called “The Year of Video Marketing,” as businesses find new, inventive ways to use the medium to reach customers. Videos stand out on social media, giving customers a quick overview of a product without overwhelming them with text. In less than thirty seconds, a customer can get the information he needs about a business through a short, visually-appealing video.

Thanks to developments in tech tools, it’s easier than ever to create a fun video at little to no cost. Businesses can use their own smartphone cameras or sign up for a service that creates animated explainer videos. But it’s still important to carefully craft a strategy for your video-marketing activities to maximize your reach. Here are five things your video marketing strategy should include.

Publishing Schedule

Just as you time your tweets and Facebook posts to run consistently, your video marketing plan should have legs, as well. Instead of posting one video about a new product, think of your campaign in terms of a series. What type of story can you tell that will allow you to post it in multiple parts over the course of several weeks?

Once you’ve determined the content of your videos, set up a schedule. Space the videos out evenly, timing them to lead up to a big product launch or event. Continue to strategize new video campaigns that can keep your brand fresh in customers’ minds long after that big date.

Short-Form Videos

Social media has revolutionized the way online users communicate with each other, with short, concise statements trumping longer forms of content. Micro-video apps shorten videos to less than ten seconds, making them ideal for sharing on sites like Twitter and Instagram. In this format, customers can quickly view a message as they scroll through their social media feeds. Brands can quickly send a message that will be seen by a larger audience, especially on Vine and Facebook, where they automatically play as a user scrolls past.

“With the emergence of micro video apps like Twitter’s Vine and now Instagram’s video sharing feature, we’re seeing even more movement toward real-time video sharing,” says my friend Jayson DeMers, founder and CEO of AudienceBloom. “And not just any videos; with Instagram allowing 3-15 seconds per video, and Vine allowing precisely 6 seconds, users are even more likely to create and share videos from their smartphones.”

Tutorials and Tips

One way to connect with customers is by posting tutorials relevant to your line of work. While it may seem as though you will be giving away your secrets, you’ll actually establish yourself as a subject matter expert, leading viewers to want to learn more about your business. A salon could offer styling tips, for instance, and a marketing firm could do a series on building your brand using the latest social media site.

Tutorials also provide built-in series potential. Rarely will you post just one how-to video. Provided your tips are useful, you’ll likely find customers keep coming back to see the next video in the series.

Customer-Generated Content

An even better way to connect with customers is to put them behind the camera. User-generated content is more likely to generate a response than company-generated content. Instead of spending hours coming up with a script and producing a powerful video, invite your customers to create one of their own. Offer a prize for the best video showcasing customer use of your product and you’ll likely get an overwhelming response.

The best thing about customer-generated content is that it will show other people’s passion for your product. When potential customers see that, they’ll want to know what all the excitement is about and possibly give your product a try.

Call to Action

One mistake many marketers make is in creating a great video without attaching a call to action. Customers may enjoy your message, but if they have no idea what to do after watching it, your hard work will have been for nothing.

The call to action can be something simple, like a coupon code for use on your website. For local customers, attach an offer of a discount for any customer who mentions the video in your store. Just a few words at the end of your video could lead to a conversion that otherwise wouldn’t have happened.

Video marketing is a great way for brands to stand out from the many text-based marketing efforts being launched each day. When conducted correctly, a video marketing campaign can help your brand reach new consumers and turn them into loyal customers.

John Rampton is an entrepreneur, investor, online marketing guru and startup enthusiast. He is founder of the online payments company Due and productivity company